Need graphics card recommendation

Question

So I've just ordered a new model MBP 15" Retina, upgrading the 2.0 ghz i7 quadcore to 2.3, and doubling the RAM to 16 gb.  This includes the 256 gb flash HD, and the new default config Intel Iris Pro graphics card (no NVIDIA graphics card).  FWIW, I'll be plugged into my thunderbolt display (already own) for video editing.
The new MBP is of course a hefty hit to my pocketbook.  Yet, I'm still torn by the notion that for $250 (I get the educational discount) I could go ahead and add the NVIDIA 750 2 gb card, not to mention doubling my HD (mainly to future-proof it - I only use about 122 gb right now).
Is it worth it or is Iris Pro good enough for FCPX, and presumably some Motion 5, Compressor etc?
I haven't edited in years, but I have just returned from Nepal, where I shot several hours of HD footage that I'm going to be editing together with stills for a doc.  I'm a writer-filmmaker, so if it comes out as I hope it will, this will be a professional sample and festival submission.  I have no clue how much use of Motion or After Effects I'll need to use - in fact I have no clue how to use these, but presumably I'll figure it out.  Some of the footage has issues, it was all shot run and gun, so it could be I'll use that stuff a lot.
Do I need the NVIDIA 750 card or can I rest easy with just Iris Pro?  
Thanks so much for advice either way!!
Andrew

Answer 1

I have a 2TB backup drive and a 6TB RAID network storage.  I load new video directly onto the backup drive to save hard drive space on the iMac, then copy it to the RAID for safekeeping.  I can wipe it from the backup when I'm done with it, and still have two copies on the network RAID.  I consider this to be the minimum for HD.
I ended up with about five hours of AVCHD footage that I had to sort through to pick out the little morsels I needed, along with some .MOV files from a DSLR.  I'm not sure how much space it took up when I converted the AVCHD into .MOV files, but I started out with about 650GB available (after clearing it off) and now I have about 150 GB.  That includes what FCPX generated as I edited.  I don't want to go below that 150GB level, as the processing performance drops.  I keep the .MOV files on the main hard drive because that's the quickest access.  I keep a sharp eye on the capacity.
Fortunately I did well enough on this project that it got me a lot more work.  Unfortunately, if I decide to pursue it more seriously I know I'll have to get a better system.  I'm already looking at the new Mac Pro with at least 32 Gs of RAM, the biggest internal hard drive available, and a massive Thunderbolt RAID.  With the deadlines I've run into, it's the only way I'll be able to get things done without staying up until 4 a.m. waiting for stuff to transfer (I got this iMac just before they started coming out with Thunderbolt, darn it).  If I had to choose, I'd get more hard drive storage versus more RAM.  In my experience, 16GB does OK, but then I haven't  had to render anything longer than ten minutes in HD.
If you use Time Machine for back-up onto the 1TB external drive, you're probably going to have to get an additional drive.  I would recommend one to two TB depending on how big your final files are.  If you decide to RAID that second external drive-- highly recommended-- then you'd need to get double that.  Get a Thunderbolt splitter so you can run both of them at the same time.  If you need to convert the RAW files, keep those on the second drive.
Very best of luck, and send us a link to the piece when you are done.  -JB